Community Brag Posts

Benchright Coffee Table

Submitted by Trista5111 on Mon, 09/08/2014 - 19:16

I built this table following Ana's plans!  It turned out great!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax stain, semi-gloss poly
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

DIYER_MD

Tue, 09/09/2014 - 14:42

This table turned out great.  The stain job is very well done.  Now I may have to build one.

Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/28/2016 - 15:50

Rustic x console Table 

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane weathered grey stain with varathane polyurethane in a matte sheen.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Antiqued Farmhouse Console Table

My wife wanted a table for the entry way; so, of course, I showed her plans from this site. Wasn't hard to build at all. Since I knew she wanted an antique look, I left the screws exposed for a more rustic look.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Antique White Chalk Paint
Behr Clear Decorative Wax
Behr Dark Decorative Wax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Headboard for Queen size storage bed

Submitted by sgilly on Wed, 11/28/2012 - 13:44

Several months ago I built the queen sized storage bed for my son and daughter-in-law. They are so happy with it. But, recently, my son's sweet wife asked me if I would make a headboard for their bed. She'd seen a picture on Pinterest of just what she wanted - and guess what? It was Ana's plan.
The headboard went together beautifully. I made a couple of minor changes (no side pieces on the legs, an extra top piece and a tiny trim piece added). I also made it a bit smaller in width. Each leg sits about an inch and a half behind the sides of the bed, which enabled my son to attach it by screwing through the bed into the legs.
I also made floating night stands (so they can open the drawers in the bed!). No pictures of those, but they're stained to match and my kids love how everything turned out! It's so nice when things turn out well.

Estimated Cost
About $85 in materials. I had screws, glue, stain, finish.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Espresso, 3 coats, sanded lightly between coats and wiped off with damp cloth. Minwax rub on polyurethane (I think it was satin). 3 coats, sanded lightly between 1st and 2nd coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified Farm Table

Modified the plans for the farmhouse table by using 4x4's for the legs and end pieces. Also cut 45 degree 2x4's for additional bracing on the benches. Upholstered the center 2x12 on the benches with some foam from army surplus.

Now that its all put together, I'm wishing I had went with 6x6's for the legs, but I like how the 4x4's look for now.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~$120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Kona stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

ten dollar ledges

Submitted by jenhamlin on Fri, 11/30/2012 - 21:27

I love these ledges!!

Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Mofified Rectangles Day Bed

Submitted by rob10k8 on Sun, 09/14/2014 - 13:46

I was looking at getting the West Elm Rectangles Day Bed, however, the bed was a bit too tall.  The window sill of the room was 26" high and I didn't really want the bed above the sill.  I found the plans on this site and decided to modify the plans so that the top of the bed would be flush with the top of the sill.

To make the bed fit, I removed 2" from the height of the rectangles (10" cuts instead of 12") and 1/2" from each of the top and bottom joiners (1 3/4" cuts instead of 2/1/4").  Finally, the corener legs are each cut to 26" instead of 30".  The makes the be 7" off the floor instead of 8".  Overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out.

 

A couple of things I learned:

1.  I used clear pine for the wood.  It was very smooth to begin with, so I didn't need to sand it.  I primed all the wood prior to cutting.

2.  The pine was not all exactly the same size.  This means that I could only have one side completely flush and needed to decide if it was the inside of the outside of the bed (I choose the inside).  I sanded the outside a bit, but all the pieces still weren't completely flush, but I didn't care since it would be facing the wall.  You may be able to get better results with more expensive wood.

3.  Get a Kreg jig.  I bought the pocket unit for ~$20.  It was very useful for creating joints.  Make sure to do a test joint as I initially set the depth incorrectly and drilled too deep (luckily I DID do a test piece)

4.  I did not buy the Kreg plugs.  Instead, I just used wood filler.  For each hole, I covered with wood filler, let dry and sanded.  I then put on a second coat and sanded again using 300 grit sandpaper.  You can not tell there are any joint holes, and am very pleased with how the joints look.

5.  I did not use the Kreg Jig on the 1/3/4" top/bottom rectangle joiners, I just used 3" wood screws and screwed throught the top/bottom in from the top/bottom.  I used a Big Gator Drill Guide to drill a pilot hole that was perfectly perpendicular (as I don't have a drill press) prior to screwing the pieces together.  Filling the holes with wood filler and sanding (twice) worked well.

6.  Sanding!! I sanded a lot to get the paint to be very smooth.  It was a bit of a pain as I did it all by hand.  I think a belt sander might have made some of the sanding go a bit quicker, but the rectangles day bed has so many inside areas to sand, you're going to have to do some by hand.

7.  I used a primer on all surfaces and sanded the primer smooth prior to the final coat(s).  For painting the final coats, I used a foam brush as the paint was pretty thin and I did not want to see any brush marks.  I considered spray painting the final coat, but it was just easier to do by hand.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250 (including Kreg Jig and Big Gator drill guide)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore Advance Waterborne Interior/Exterior Alkyd (high gloss white)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

TONS of compliments! LOVE LOVE LOVE this table!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/02/2017 - 20:14

I had to scale mine down a bit in size (I didn't want a huge coffee table this time around)...I absolutely love this table. Very easy to build and only took one day from start to finish to make. I receive tons of compliments on it! People can't believe I actually made it from scrap wood I had in the garage! I have a 3 year old who plays and bangs toys on it everyday, and it only adds to the distressed, rustic look that I love! Couldn't be happier!

 

Look no further for a one-of-a-kind coffee table to complete your room!

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

rustic media center

This project took several months of off and on work but I am very happy with the results. Got the wood from the local lowes and the hardware from Ace Hardware. Used the Kreg Jig pocket hole system to hide the fasteners which makes a big difference. I also used flat black spray paint for the hardware.

Followed the plans on this website to the T and they were pretty good. The only change I had to make was adding some wood shims for the magnetic door closures. It also wasn't clear where to place the center shelf front and back but I figured out it needed to be back. Also cut some holes in the back for cords and made my own custom legs rather than pay so much for store bought ones.

I made some other furniture from this website so I used the same oxidized finish. I used flat black hardware where I could and spray painted everything else. The stain was great, really easy to make and stains really well. I covered the stain with the recommended wax which gives it a really nice shine and is very smooth.

Huge thanks to this website!

Estimated Cost
300.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
"Hillary's oxidized finish"
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Estate of Bliss

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/05/2017 - 20:47

Coffee cabinet with slide out drawer, finished in Burgundy and a dark wax finish

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Annie sloan Burgundy
With dark wax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Barn door console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 09/16/2020 - 12:15

I am so happy with the way this turned out! (By no means is it perfect) My husband and I have been looking for a tv stand for our basement for months! Everything we liked seemed overpriced and still not exactly what we wanted. That was when we remembered the Adirondack chairs we had made from Ana’s plans and started looking to see what else she had. We found this tv stand and read through the step by steps and it all seemed manageable. Ana has the easiest plans to follow along with and so many tips and tricks also! We are by no means experts - we are very much still beginners, that’s how good her directions are!

Estimated Cost
$250?
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We bought “chalked” brand paint from Menards in linen white. It comes in spray paint or little cans. We used a wood stain in “carbon gray” to match our barn door that’s not pictured. And the back of the console is a project panel/wall panel from Menards that looks like white barn wood.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

$55 Fancy X Desk - modified

Submitted by mtairymd on Sat, 09/20/2014 - 04:50

I made a new drawing since I updated some of the dimensions.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Low-Cost-DeskTable/

Video of the build:

http://youtu.be/7TGnfrXRWRE

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint - white/green
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Salsa Console

Submitted by Pauline M on Sun, 01/08/2017 - 05:28

This was my biggest project yet and I am so proud of the final finish. I adapted the salsa console plans to make all drawers. I felt this made more use of the space in the island.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
€500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I wanted a cream gloss finish and figured out it was cheaper to use car wrap to give the same effect. It also saved time. Top is 2x4's glued and screwed together. Stained and varnished.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Lift top table with storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 09/19/2020 - 15:09

I used the lift top table for inspiration, we needed more storage in our livingroom for throws and blankets. This was the perfect solution as fall approaches. Thank you for your original design!

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American

Our First Ever Project!

This was our first attempt ever at making a piece of furniture. We rented the miter saw and bought a kreg jig. My husband did the research after we discovered how grossly expensive attractive patio furniture is. We bought inexpensive white pine and used stain and I sewed the cushions myself. We are hitting a snag there as we've discovered that the high density foam for the inside is super expensive too! Right now I have it stuffed with a combo of some foam padding and batting. I figure if we stuff it enough it will last a while. Overall I am very happy and proud to say we made this!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
This was an indoor stain and we used a finish over it.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Wed, 12/12/2012 - 05:21

Nice build and pretty cushions! Foam is too expensive, I agree. I think the best thing is to look online or wait until you can get JoAnn Fabrics 40 or 50% coupons (I forget which is more common).

hand made in Brazil

Ana, thanks for the plans. it was really cool to make that.

Estimated Cost
U$ 60,00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kids Trestle table

Submitted by The6greers on Mon, 12/17/2012 - 12:06

This is a last minute Christmas gift for my girls.It was very easy to build; took me just a couple hours to assemble it and a few days of secret sanding and painting.
It will be the girl's art table and will sit about where the Christmas tree is right now. Maybe now I can have my kitchen and dining table back:)

The cube seats were made from the plan over at Shanty2chic http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2012/07/rolling-storage-cube-stools.html
And the tapered bins you see in the background on the right are made from this plan from That's my letter http://thatsmyletter.blogspot.com/2012/06/m-is-for-mudroom-bins-4.html

Estimated Cost
88.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted Black
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner